Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
From love affairs with kings, to political intrigue, to wild times in the Australian goldfields and cities, few have lived lives as riotous or colourful as Lola Montez.
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is a key date in the calendar for all collecting institutions, big and small, entrusted with the care of irreplaceable cultural heritage. On this day, the Library joins Blue Shield Australia and other major Australian cultural institutions in raising awareness about the importance of disaster preparedness, response and recovery to protect and preserve our collections and the stories held within them.
Are you interested in social justice or human rights? Are you keen to learn how people with disability stood up for their rights? If so, come on a journey into the online database Disability in the modern world: History of a social movement.
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:
Learn how one family’s singular obsession with the natural world contributed to the Melbourne Zoo we know today.
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
On 10 October 1909, 54 runners lined up at Frankston to compete in the first ever Victorian Marathon. Since that date marathon races have been a constant, and much loved, feature of the Victorian sporting calendar.
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
There is always a romance to a bottle washed up on a lonely shore, containing a message from the past and from far away. This may be a message of greeting, of despair, for science or sometimes even a hoax.
We chatted to Linda Short about how Handmade Universe came to be, and the best way to experience the stories it tells.
The Library was founded in 1854 on principles of the right to access to information – one of the first free public libraries in the world. The UNESCO International Day for Universal Access to Information highlights the role access to information can play in contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16, which is to promote ‘just, peaceful and inclusive societies.’
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Attitudes to gender, sex, and sexuality have come a long way, and this database houses material that covers historical changes and related social movements. The oldest material dates back to the 16th century. Topics covered include LGBTQ studies, women studies, health and hygiene, sex education, and some forbidden books.
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
The iconic Queen Victoria Market has been a central part of Melbourne life for 150 years. The Market’s social significance is a record of change and continuity in market activity over a long period
On 6 April 1966, in a quiet suburb south east of Melbourne, reports emerged of something strange in the sky…
The Etkins collection consists of wonderful portraits of people and places throughout 19th century Victoria.
